Vettaiyan is refreshing but falters on ‘Rajini terrain’

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In the current mindless surfeit of the South’s extravaganzas of violence, Vettaiyan, which means ‘Hunter’, comes as a breath of fresh air. Interestingly plotted, it depicts how a top cop, Superintendent of Police Athiyan (Rajinikanth), who also trains cops, prefers to kill criminals (and also very corrupt colleagues!) in encounters and thus has an opponent in Dr. Sathyadev Bramhadutt Pande, National Human Rights Commission of India (Amitabh Bachchan). Dr. Sathyadev considers such acts abhorrent.

When a teacher, Saranya (Dushara Vijayan) complains about drugs being sold near a school premises, Athiyan immediately shoots the man up top, Kumaresan (Sabumon Abdusamad) along with a cop who Kumaresan informs was hand-in-glove with him. This further invites Sathyadev’s ire.

However, soon, Saranya is brutally raped and murdered, and when Athiyan comes to know that she had tried to contact him when she was being chased by the killer, he is hell-bent on punishing him, and the evidence points at Guna (Asal Kolaar), a young man projected as a sex-addict. He is caught, pleads innocence despite some evidence against him and escapes. Athiyan guns him down. And then doubts are planted in his mind about whether he was innocent after all. Guna’s mother and sister are sheltered by Dr. Sathyadev, and then Guna’s innocence is confirmed through irrefutable evidence. Athiyan realizes that he has killed an innocent person, seeks Guna’s families’ pardon and vows now to get the real culprits and proclaim Guna’s innocence.

The film of course rests on Rajinikanth’s persona and charisma, complete with his mannerisms and his trademark sardonic smile. But those wanting him to indulge in continuous mindless action and loud acting are in for a disappointment. In this respect, the film is similar to Sunny Deol’s Ghayal Once Again or Amitabh Bachchan’s Main Azaad Hoon that simply had them as too sober for their images and lost at the box-office!

Also, one expects fireworks when Bachchan and Rajini are cast together in a big movie, especially as they are on opposite wavelengths here unlike in Andhaa Kaanoon, Geraftaar and Hum. But that does not happen here! Amitabh himself is a stern but staid man and even his dialogues are pitched at low-key.

From the support, Rana Daggubati as Natraj, the villain, goes the full hog, resorting quite a lot to hamming. Manju Warrier as Mrs. Athiyan is pleasant, and Dushara Vijayan as Saranya is well-cast and effective. Ritika Singh, who last did the Hindi film, Saala Khadoos, as the protagonist alongside R. Madhavan, has nothing much to do here. As Natraj’s loyalist, Abhirami too is alright. But I was impressed by Asal Kolaar as Guna and even more by Fahadh Faasil as Athiyan’s protégé, Battery. His comedy is not only up-market but also relevant to the plot, unlike the forced humor of most South movies.

The action and other technical aspects are well-done, the songs forgettable at least in Hindi and the background music (both by Anirudh Ravichander) average. The film is likable and may do well on OTT, but as of now, it is unlikely to pull in Rajini fans in hordes into the movie halls.

Rating: ***1/2

Lyca Productions’ Vettaiyan  Produced by: Subaskaran Allirajah  Directed by: T. J. Gnanavel  Written by: T. J. Gnanavel & B. Kiruthika  Music: Anirudh Ravichander  Starring: Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, Manju Warrier, Ritika Singh, Dushara Vijayan, Asal Kolaar, Sabumon Abdusamad, Thanmaya, Vasanthi & others